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Fair-trade coffee and lettuce so fresh you might feel like slapping it.Photo: Courtesy of Exki

The fast-casual EXKi, which was once lumped together with a bunch of other locally minded chains in a Time piece on "anti-fast food" restaurants, will open its first U.S. location early next year at 257 Park Avenue South. Not unlike the homegrown (and rapidly expanding) Sweetgreen, the Belgian import's operation is guided by a similar philosophy of sustainability: Packaging is ecofriendly, a good deal of the produce is organic, and so on. The chain currently operates 70 locations throughout Europe, and is said to be planning a few more New York stores after it makes its Flatiron debut. [Real Estate Weekly, Related]